Oxfam Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of nine members to its Board of Directors.
Oxfam Australia Board Chair Dr Judith Slocombe thanked all applicants in a highly competitive expression of interest process across Australia that attracted about 140 candidates and had been guided by Oxfam Australia's commitment to promoting inclusion and diversity.
"The new Board members bring a shared passion and range of skills that will ensure our organisation's governance is strongly aligned to our recently refreshed strategic directions and priorities," Dr Slocombe said.
Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Lyn Morgain said it was an exciting new chapter for the Board and organisation.
"This will ensure leadership that brings both fresh and diverse governance and a continuity of experience and knowledge to drive us to tackle the inequalities that are keeping people in poverty," Ms Morgain said.
The following new appointments to the Board have been made:
- Aleem Ali. Mr Ali has spent more than 20 years seeding and mentoring the development of leading initiatives and social enterprises that advance welcoming and inclusive communities. As the CEO of Welcoming Australia, Mr Ali is working with leaders and organisations across the country to cultivate a culture of welcome and advance communities where people of all backgrounds can belong, contribute and thrive.
- Zainab Fazil. Ms Fazil is an experienced program manager who has over 15 years of experience in the international development sector. She has held senior roles with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office and is currently working for the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment on the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan.
- Aurora Milroy. Ms Milroy is a Palyku woman from Western Australia and the Senior Project Manager and Policy Advisor at the Secretariat for the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peaks. Previously the Institute Manager at the Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne, Ms Milroy has worked across the government, not-for-profit and corporate sectors.
- Margaret Thomas. Ms Thomas is a senior international development professional, having held various strategic leadership and management positions in both national and multilateral settings. Ms Thomas has worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York and the Australia Agency for International Development (AusAID) for more than 20 years, including roles as Head of the Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste country offices, and an earlier posting in the Philippines.
- Cliff Weeks. Mr Weeks is a Yamatji man from the Midwest in Western Australia. An experienced senior executive with 20 years' experience in government administration, Mr Weeks is currently the Assistant Investment Commissioner, Northern Territory Government based in Alice Springs. Mr Weeks previous roles include Coordinator General for remote service delivery in Western Australia and Director General for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs – he was one of the youngest people appointed to lead a government department in the WA Public Sector at the age of 36 and the only Aboriginal Director General in Australia during his tenure.
- Amanda Young. Ms Young is a Pacific Island descendant who has devoted 27 years of her career to reducing inequalities, a sustained commitment which has led her across five sectors: legal, government, commercial, economic and academic. Ms Young's experience includes designing public policy in challenging domains such as Indigenous wage reparations, police misconduct, Stolen Generations and family violence and Indigenous economic development. Ms Young is a global Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity from the London School of Economics and she is also a non-executive director on the board of Cufa.
The EOI process has also reappointed Board members Geoff McClellan, Sally McCutchan and Dr Jasmine-Kim Westendorf. James Riturban also continues in the role of staff representative.
Dr Slocombe sincerely thanked departing Board members - Peter Bars, Melissa Houghton, Dr Fiona Kotvojs, Tim McMinn, Belinda Tallis and Alan Wu – for their many combined years of dedication, tireless support, and leadership
Dr Slocombe also warmly welcomed the new Board members, acknowledging the high calibre of applicants.
"The process has ensured a Board that strongly reflects Oxfam Australia's vision and values," Dr Slocombe said.
"The range of lived experiences, knowledge and skills brought by these members will allow the Board us to provide critical governance oversight, strategic foresight and deep community engagement.
"The Board will ensure a relevant, respected and legitimate organisation that leads Oxfam Australia towards a just and sustainable world, and I am excited to begin work with these leaders."
